Parental Guidence
by Leni-H50
Summary: I have a hard time accepting the fact that Steve is ok with the fact that he left Catherine alone in Afghanistan. I have a harder time accepting the fact that Catherine's parents are okay with that as well. Here is my tag to 4:21.
1. Chapter 1

_**I have a hard time accepting the fact that Steve is ok with the fact that he left Catherine alone in Afghanistan. I have a harder time accepting the fact that Catherine's father is okay with that as well. Here is my tag to 4:21.**_

_**Five-0 headquarters:**_

"You have completely lost your mind" Danny ranted as Steve relaxed against the back of his chair.

"He sang like a bird, didn't he?" Steve smirked as he raised his hands and fastened them behind his head

"You cannot, I repeat, you cannot do that!" Danny shouted as he paced the office

"I can and I did" Steve raised his legs and placed them on his desk as he crossed his ankles

"You are too much, you hear me, too much" Danny raised his hands in surrender.

"I tell you what, when you become the head of Five-0, you can use any method of interrogation you want, in the meantime, we do it my way. Got it? "Steve smirked as a slight chuckle escaped.

"Ha! As if…" He turned to storm out of the office, when he was suddenly blocked by a man attempting to enter.

Steve immediately stood at attention and approached while stretching his hand out to meet the man's handshake.

"May I have a few minutes of your time, McGarrett?" The man asked, but it was more a statement than a question.

"For you, I have all the time in the world, sir" Steve swallowed hard to suppress the lump in his throat.

Danny watched the exchange and with an obvious clearing of his throat, he interrupted "Danny Williams and you are….?" He reached out his hand to the man.

"Frank Rollins" The man grabbed hold of Danny's hand and shook it.

"Oh" Danny was surprised by the man's identity. He stood glancing at the two men when, with an uncomfortable fidget, he announced his departure" I better leave you two alone" He hastily exited the office.

Placing his hand on one of the chairs he gestured for the man to have a seat. "Please, sir, have a seat"

The man sat down and gestured for Steve to have the seat next to his. "Steve, we need to talk"

"Yes, we do, but before you say anything, let me say that I am so sorry. Please know that I would never do anything to intentionally put Catherine in harm's way, Sir, I have every intention…" Frank held up his hand to stop Steve from continuing.

"I know all about your capture, I came across the video. I thank you for not revealing her identity and giving up her location." Frank Rollins closed his eyes tightly trying desperately to push back the tears that were forming in his eyes. He continued "I'm not here to place blame; I'm here because I need your help"

Steve stood at attention "Anything" was his immediate reply.

"I need you to give me Catherine's last known location. I know you are in touch with her. I'm going to bring her home" He stood to match Steve's stature.

Steve paced as he rubbed the stubble of his chin, he turned and faced the man eye to eye "I can't let you do that sir"

"I'm not asking permission, I just need to know where to start, please Steven, please give me what I need to bring my little girl home" He no longer tried to hold back the tears that freely fell from his eyes.

Steve swallowed hard and allowing a few tears of his own to fall nodded "Ok, but I'm going with you"

Grabbing Steve's arm to drive his point he spoke slow and clear "You can't do that son. If you get caught your career and everything you worked for will be for nothing. You will be tossed in prison, or worse. I know about your confrontation with the Colonel and the CIA. You cannot risk it. I on the other hand have nothing to lose and everything to gain"

"You know about my confrontation with them?" Steve questioned

"I know people" Frank shrugged his shoulder

"Sir, Frank, with all do respect, I don't care. I need to go with you. I should have never left her alone. I need to fix this mess. Please" Steve was now begging

Frank nodded "ok, but we do this my way. Old school. Got it McGarrett?"

"Yes, sir." A sense of relief fell over him as he dropped onto the edge of the chair. "When do we leave?"

"I have a private charter leaving at 0635. Welcome to the Peace Corp" Frank Rollins hugged Steve and smiled. "I'll pick you up at 0500" He walked away as he waved at Danny who stood at the smart table staring into Steve's office.

Danny made sure the man had exited the suite before approaching Steve's office. Pausing to take in the look on his face, he entered.

"You're going after Catherine, aren't you?" He asked already knowing the answer.

Steve nodded "I have to do this Danny. Please don't try to talk me out of it. Please"

"Let me come with you" Danny insisted

"No you can't, I need you here. Grace needs you. I need you to take over Five-0 and check on Mary" Steve tried to think of every reason he could to make it clear that he was not allowing Danny to come with them

"You can't go by yourself, it's too dangerous" Danny insisted

"I'm not. Frank is coming with me. Actually I'm going with him"

"Oh great, your back up is a 60 year old man. Not helping your case man" Danny did not like this at all

"Danny, he was a SEAL and he literally wrote the book on the techniques we use today. He was the best of the best. Better than I ever was" The admiration emitted from his words

Danny took a few seconds to think about Steve's words "ok, but babe, please be careful. I may not be able to call in the Calvary to rescue your ass this time."

"Don't ever let a Sailor hear you call him the Calvary. " He reached over and grabbed Danny into an embrace. "I will be careful"

"Just come back in one piece and bring Ramboette with you" Danny stood back and ran his hands through his hair.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

_**Thank you so much for the wonderful response. **_

_**Somewhere in the Aphgan desert**_

She was cold and tired and as she lay in the shallow ditch. She wondered if it was all worth it. Fighting to keep her eyes open and her mind off of the fact that she hasn't eaten in days, she raised the night vision glasses to see what activity was happening in that bunker that had held her attention for two days. She tracked the guards and how they changed shifts. She counted the number of children that were dragged in and the number of body bags that were dragged out. She was convinced that Najib was in there. She thought she spotted him but she couldn't be too sure.

Her dilemma was how to get him out alive. She was alone and had no back up. She acknowledged to herself that she was losing hope. Catherine lowered her head in defeat; she was outnumbered and too weak physically to complete the mission. She needed a new plan.

Carefully, she slithered out of the ditch as she kept close to the ground to avoid being detected. She needed a safer place to lay low for a while and regain her strength. She needed to find food and water. Making her way to the dead shrubs that concealed her motor bike, she reached to pull it out of its hiding spot. Suddenly her head spun and everything went black as she hit the ground with a thud.

_**Later that evening**_

Opening her eyes, she felt the room spin. _A room, I'm in an actual room_, she thought to herself. It was dusty and dark. A lantern lit the room just enough to produce a shadowy effect on the stone walls. Suddenly a wave of fear washed over her.

"Hey, hey, calm down, Catherine, your safe" A familiar voice whispered to her.

She turned to see who was holding her hand and trying to comfort her. She thought she was hallucinating, so she blinked her eyes tightly. "Doris?"

"Hey, how are you feeling sleepy head?" Doris rubbed her hand as she continued to hold it.

"Dizzy. I don't understand, what happened? "She was feeling disoriented as she observed her surroundings.

"I found you passed out near the canyon" A male voice responded

She turned her head in the direction of the voice "Commander White?" She asked

"How are you feeling dear?" He came closer and knelt down beside her bunk

"Ok, I guess. Can someone please tell me what is going on?" She sat up leaning her back against the wall "Did Steve send you? He promised not to"

"Easy there, you'll pull out your IV "Doris adjusted the line that fed the nutrients into her arm

Catherine looked at the needle in her arm and nodded "Thank you"

Joe glanced at Doris as he responded "I was out scouting the area. Imagine my surprise, when I found you lying there on the ground completely unconscious and alone"

"I must have passed out, where's my bike, my supplies?" she began to panic

"Hey, relax, I've got everything. I have everything, see right there." He pointed to the corner of the room

"OKay" she whispered

"Why are you here Catherine?" Doris asked "why are you here alone?"

She swallowed hard and paused. Reluctantly she answered "I'm doing a favor for a friend, I'm looking for this boy" She reached into her bra and retrieved a crumpled photo of the boy

Doris and Joe exchanged looks

"Who is this boy?" Joe asked

"He's the son of a friend. I need to find him. I know he is being held in that bunker just over the ridge. I had eyes on him" Catherine tried to continue when Joe interrupted

"That's a Taliban training camp" Joe confirmed

"Yeh, That's what I thought. I need a way to get him out of there" She pulled the IV out of her arm and tried to get up.

Doris pushed her back into the bunk "You are not going anywhere"

Catherine bowed her head looking at the photo "I have to save Najib."

"Right now you have to take care of yourself. I can't believe Steven let you do this alone" Doris questioned

"It was my decision to make. I need to return Najib to his family. Steve understands that" Catherine tried to convince herself

"I don't like it. Chasing terrorists across the desert is dangerous Catherine" Doris' tone grew stern

"I have to do this!" Catherine insisted as she attempted to stand

"Ok! Ok! I think I can help" Joe interrupted. "Give me that photo"

Catherine handed it to Joe

"If I get this boy out of there, will you go home? Do we have a deal?" Joe asked

Catherine did not verbally respond, but nodded in agreement. Honestly, she wasn't sure she could go home again

"Good. Get some rest and I'll be back soon" he hugged her and approached Doris.

Joe nodded his head signaling Doris to step away from her for a moment. "That's the group we were looking for. I'll call in back up and take them down. I'll be back" He whispered in her ear

"I should go too" Doris looked at Catherine lying in the bunk.

"No, you stay here and make sure she doesn't try to go after him. Sedate her if you have to. I will try to get the boy out safe. It's obvious he's important to her, but there is a strong chance that he will become collateral damage" Joe had doubts but was sincere in his effort to try

"Try" Doris grabbed Joe's arm as he exited "Try" she repeated

"Doris" Catherine grabbed the woman's attention

Doris secured the door behind Joe and returned to Catherine's bedside

"Why are you here?" Catherine asked

Doris paused and with a playful smirk responded "If I tell you, I'll have to kill you"

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

_**I am thrilled that you are all enjoying this story**_.

Steve and Frank stood against the hillside, in the open desert.

"I'm sure this is the right place" Steve announced in frustration as he verified the GPS reading

"There is no sign of anyone ever having been here, are you sure? Is it possible she may have given you the wrong coordinates? We are literally in the middle of nowhere." Frank questioned his daughter's motives. "Maybe she was afraid you'd come after her"

"No, I promised her I wouldn't. She promised me she would always let me know where she was. We had a deal" Steve insisted

"And I suppose you never break any promises to each other?" Frank doubted

"Never" Steve answered with the upmost confidence

Frank nodded "Yet, here you are"

"Here I am" Steve had never broken a promise to her before, but despite feeling guilty, he knew in his heart this was justified.

Frank could sense the disappointment in Steve's voice. He needed to get him to focus "Ok, let's look at this from a different angle. You are the cop here, how would you treat this if it were a crime scene?"

Steve looked around taking the time to think. "Ok…. We need to find something that looks out of place. Something that doesn't belong or a patch of disturbed sand, something… anything. There is no such thing as a perfect crime. If she was here, she had to have left some sign that she was here, some kind of clue."

The two men began to painstakingly examine the area. They lifted every stone, checked behind every shrub, and sifted through the grains of sand. They were once again losing hope when suddenly, Frank paused and released an uncontrollable grunt of laughter.

Steve looked up from his position and observed the man. He wasn't sure what to think of his sudden outburst_. I think the man has finally lost it_, he thought to himself. Approaching the man cautiously he asked. "Frank? Is everything ok?"

Frank held up a small rectangular sheet of clear cellophane wrapper. "She was here!" he announced

Steve reached out, held the wrapper between his fingers and joined Frank in the fit of laughter.

"She hasn't broken that habit, I see" Frank looked at Steve as the two men now sat on the ground passing the wrapper to each other as if it would bring them closer to her.

"She steals those candies from every restaurant we go to. Not just one or two, but handfuls, it's embarrassing" Steve rubbed his eyes to stop the tears of laughter running from them. "She eats them when she's thinking, when she's nervous, actually she eats them all the time. Who knew this would how we find her. "

"This is our trail of breadcrumbs" Her father snickered "When she was 6, she ran away from home because her mother wouldn't let her wear makeup to school. She left a trail of wrappers leading to the neighbor's tree house. I thought her mother was going to kill her. "

"She was stubborn then too, huh?" Steve's laughter subsided

"She was born stubborn." He sighed as his fingers pressed against the plastic wrapper "This isn't the neighbor's treehouse"

"We will find her" Steve tried to reassure the man. "Now we know she was here and judging by the previous coordinates we have, it seems as if she is heading in that direction" Steve pointed north "we go that way"

Frank regained his composure. "I think you are right, let's get going, we still have a few more hours of daylight"

The two men returned to their jeep and headed in that general direction. They drove for a few hours with nothing in site.

"There is a canyon up ahead, why would she be heading straight for a dead end. I don't like this at all" Frank made his fears known

As they approached the edge of the ridge, they noticed an area that had clearly been recently disturbed.

Steve screeched to a halt, as the two men stared at what appeared to be a makeshift grave. The mound of dirt and sand, the disturbed shrubbery and the visible tire tracks, were all bad signs. They both knew that if Catherine were there and left voluntarily, she would have painstakingly covered her tracks and would have left no signs of ever being there.

"Maybe she wasn't here" Steve hoped "Maybe this wasn't her camp" He didn't want to think that the shallow grave may be her's.

The men sat in the jeep, neither wanting to be the first to examine the camp. Both men feared the same thing. They were paralyzed with fear and dread, as the sun began to set over the canyon.

As the sun settled, a ray had caught a shiny object causing it to shimmer in its light. It had caught Frank's attention as he darted from the jeep and rushed toward the object. He knelt and grabbed a handful of wrappers. "She was here!" he announced in a panic and without hesitation began to uncover what he thought was a grave with his bare hands.

Steve ran over to him and joined in. To both their relief the shallow grave was empty. Both men sat back and sighed as the frustration and exhaustion began to take its toll.

"Judging by the angle of this fox hole, she was using it as a vantage point. But what was she looking at?" Steve's eyes began to wander. _There has to be something we are missing, _He thought to himself. Something in the distance caught his eyes. "Look, over there! Hand me those binoculars"

Peering through them, he noticed the abandoned bunker that was nestled against the dunes. "Here, what do you make of that? " He handed Frank the binoculars

"Looks like a Taliban training facility of some sort, I see three guards, but there may be more. Do you think they have her?" His biggest fears were becoming realized.

"I don't know" Steve paused as he looked around. "Look!" He pointed to an area behind some shrubs.

Both men stood and moved closer.

"Bike tracks. Cath said she was traveling by motor bike and here" he pointed just a few feet away "we have four tracks, looks like a truck"

"Oh God! So they did take her?" Frank's voice trembled

"No, I don't think so, the tracks are heading in that direction" He pointed in the opposite direction of the bunker.

"All right, so what are we waiting for? Let's go! Let's follow the tire tracks." Frank announced as he and Steve darted towards the Jeep.

TBC

_**Don't forget: Steve and Frank have no idea that Catherine is with Doris and Joe. **_

_**I love reviews and comments, just in case you were wondering. (Polite ones, good or bad).**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Thank you for the wonderful response. **_

Steve and Frank followed the tire tracks for a few miles when they came across a small village. The truck they assumed belonged to those tracks was parked along the side of a small house. What they assumed was Catherine's motor bike sat in the bed of the truck. They could see movement, but had no way of knowing how many were inside.

"I say we go in hot" Steve announced as he checked the ammo in his rifle

"No way! That will get her killed. We wait, we watch." Frank felt slightly relieved that they knew where she was, but knew that if she was still alive, her extraction had to be done with precision.

"We can't wait! We waited long enough. You don't know what they could be doing to her. They may be torturing her, I won't let her go through what I went through, I'm going in" Steve darted up from his position and jogged towards the house.

"Steve, stop!" Frank took off after him, leapt forward and tackled him to the ground.

"Stop it!" He flipped Steve over and pinned him down "You need to stop thinking like her boyfriend and start thinking like the SEAL that you are. Don't you think I know what could be happening in there? She's my daughter, but we are going to get her killed if we just barge in there. We have no idea how many people are in there, or if she is still alive" Frank lectured as Steve listened, the frustration clear on his face

Taking a deep breath and a moment to let the words sink in he nodded "Yes sir. You're right. I'm sorry" Steve apologized

Frank stood up and offered his hand to help Steve stand. "Not bad for an old man, huh? Listen Steve, I know you love her and are worried. I am too, but we have to do this the right way. We have to rely on our training."

"You are right, sir, so what's your plan?" Steve asked

_**Sometime after midnight**_

Frank adjusted the night vision goggles as he made his way towards the house. Slowly creeping through the darkness, he carefully made his way to the back of the house. He ran his fingers across the stone walls, looking for an opening of any kind. He needed to find a way to look inside. He stopped in relief when his fingers discovered a crack between the stones. He peered through opening and observed the interior. The structure consisted of one room divided by a curtain in the far corner. There was one window that was boarded. He made his way around, hoping to get a better view. He paused to adjust the setting on his goggles, when he felt the cold metal barrel of a gun against his head.

"Do not move or I will put a bullet through your head" A female voice startled him. "Hand me you're gun and turn around slowly".

Frank reached behind him, handing her his rifle and with his hands raised he turned.

The woman's face was covered with a scarf that only revealed her eyes. She spoke "With one hand, remove the goggles" She demanded

Frank complied.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" She asked

"I can ask you the same question" Steve asked as the woman now felt the barrel of his gun against her head. "Put your weapon down, now!"

The woman complied.

"Turn around slowly" Steve asked as Frank retrieved the guns and aimed at her.

Steve reached towards her and unraveled the scarf that concealed her identity. "Mom?"

"Hello Steven" she smiled

"Wait a minute, this is your mother?" Frank lowered the gun as a puzzled look covered his face.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Steve snapped at her

"Does it matter?" She turned and faced the man behind her "Doris McGarrett and you are?"

Still puzzled by the events he stuttered as he answered "Frank Rollins"

"Oh, well Mr. Rollins, Steve… I believe I have something that belongs to both of you. Follow me" Doris casually walked inside the house, holding the door open, she gestured for them to follow. "Are you coming inside?"

Frank and Steve followed her as she carefully pulled a curtain aside. Fastening it against the wall, she revealed Catherine lying in a state of unconsciousness.

"Is she ok?" Steve asked

"She'll be fine. We found her unconscious, dehydrated and on the verge of starvation. She was a little anxious earlier so we sedated her so she could get some sleep. We are feeding her nutrients through the IV. She should be awake in a few hours and good as new in a few days" Doris reassured the men standing before her.

Frank knelt next to his daughter and held her hand as he leaned in and kissed her forehead. "Thank you" he looked at Doris directly.

She nodded in acceptance.

"Doris, you said _we_, who are you here with?" Steve crossed his arms across his chest as he asked.

"That would be me" a male voiced boomed in the distance

"Joe!" Both Steve and Frank exclaimed at once

"Hello Steve" Joe approached the men "Frank Rollins, it's been a long time" Joe extended his hand

"I don't understand. Did Catherine call you? What is going on?" Steve was confused.

"We can discuss this in the morning. Catherine will be out of it for a while and you two look exhausted. I assure you, it's safe here. Get some rest and we will fill you in later" Joe tossed two sleeping bags towards their feet. "Get some sleep".


	5. Chapter 5

Steve and Frank awoke to the smell of eggs frying on the burner. They turned to look at each other.

"You don't trust them, do you?" Frank whispered to Steve.

"No I don't. My mother worked for the CIA and she's a manipulator. Joe has been lying to me, my whole life." Steve glanced towards the bunk where Catherine slept. "But they somehow saved Catherine's life"

Frank turned his head towards Catherine "For that I am grateful". He stood and rubbing his face with hands, he walked towards the makeshift kitchen.

"Coffee?" Doris handed him a cup.

"How on earth do you have coffee and eggs?" Frank raised the cup to his lips and savored every sip.

"Courtesy of Uncle Sam, I assume" Steve responded with malcontent.

"Good morning to you too, son" Doris replied sarcastically.

Frank and Joe exchanged a look.

"What the Hell is going on here? How did you find Catherine, why were you looking for her?" Steve snapped.

"We weren't looking for her. We stumbled across her, actually Joe did. Oh and by the way… you are welcome." Doris snipped as she poured herself another cup of coffee.

"Steve settle down, have some eggs." Joe placed a dish with two scrambled eggs and a piece of bread on the table.

"Oh my God, that smells so good" Catherine took in a deep breath.

Steve spun around at the sound of her voice and without wasting a single second, grabbed her in his arms and hugged her tightly.

"Well, hello there sailor" she kissed him.

"It's nice to see you awake" Frank stood and gave her a hug as Steve stepped back given them some space.

Joe and Doris glanced at each other from across the table and smiled.

"What are you two doing here?" Catherine asked

"We are here to bring you home" Frank responded with a smile

Catherine smiled and just as she was about to reply, Steve pulled one of the chairs out and guided Catherine to sit. He slid the plate in front of her and smiled. "Here, these are yours".

"eggs?" She couldn't help but devour the food before her as everyone watched in amazement.

"She always did have a good appetite" Frank smiled.

With a smile on his face, Joe politely excused himself from the table and exited to his truck. He returned a few minutes later, with a tattered soccer ball in his hand. He tossed it to Catherine. "Amir expresses his eternal gratitude".

Catherine jumped to her feet "You found Najib?"

"I did and several others. They are all home safe. Now that I kept up my end of the deal; it's your turn. Go home Catherine" Joe placed his arms on his hips to emphasize his point.

Catherine stared at the ball in her hands and began to pace. After a few moments of silence she turned to her father and then to Steve.

"Thank you Joe, but I'm sorry, I can't go home. There are other children that need help. I'm staying" she announced

Steve was startled by her response and suddenly lost his patience "NO! You are coming home Cath, you have to stop this. You have to stop running away!" He was shouting at her.

Frank placed his hand on Steve's shoulder in an effort to calm him. "If you won't go to Hawaii then come home to Virginia. You can stay with your mother and I until you come to your senses" Frank could not believe she was refusing to go home.

"Come to my senses? You just don't get it. Listen to me, I am not going back! Virginia is not my home. I won't go back to Hawaii. I am staying here" Catherine rubbed her forehead with her fingers. "Why won't you accept this? Why can't you both just listen to me? You promised not to come after me" She was screaming at them.

"Because we love you!" Both men responded simultaneously

Taking a stand between Steve and Catherine, Joe grabbed Steve's arm "You need to go for a walk and Frank, go with him. Give me a minute to talk to her" He insisted

"Fine" Steve wrestled his arm out of Joe's grip. He walked outside, slamming the door behind him. He stopped and leaned against the wall; sliding to the ground, he sat on the dirt. Seconds later, Frank followed and sat beside him.

"I don't get it. Why would she do this? Frank, I just don't understand" Steve was trying not to cry, but the accumulations of events were taking their toll on him and the tears were escaping.

"I don't know Steven. She's very stubborn, just like her mother. Once she sets her mind on something, there is no changing it, but I think you already know that" Frank placed his hand on Steve's shoulder.

"I love her and I want her to be happy, but I can't…I won't leave her here again. I need her. I know this is my fault. I shut her out all these years and now it's too late" Steve could no longer suppress his emotions.

Frank pulled him closer and held him in a firm embrace. "Sometimes life deals us a hand of cards we don't like, but we just have to play them out and see what happens. I don't like this either, but it's what she wants and I'm afraid we can't do anything about it"

Steve pulled away from Frank's embrace and wiped his tears with the back of his hand. "I guess you're right." He stood up and wiped the dirt from his cargos. He stretched his hand to assist Frank and both men returned inside.

Catherine was sitting on the edge of her bunk, with Doris and Joe kneeling beside her. Frank and Steve listened undetected.

"This is about Harrington, isn't it?" Joe was convinced this was a classic case of survivor's guilt. "That was not your fault"

"It was my fault. I failed at backing him up. Steve was tortured because he followed me here. Don't you see, it's because of me that the people I love get hurt. I cant go back to Five-0. What if I fail at backing up Steve or anyone else on the team? What if he gets killed because I wasn't good enough to have his back? If anything happened to him because of me, I would never be able to forgive myself" She pleaded for them to understand

Steve darted forward, but was held back by Frank. "Let her continue. She needs to get it out" he whispered. Their presence remained undetected.

Joe grabbed her hand to draw her attention "That's ridiculous, Catherine. You can't predict these things. They just happen. None of that was your fault."

"I can't go back there. I won't go back there, besides there is nothing there for me anymore. I don't have the Navy, and now that Kono is back safe, Five-0 doesn't need me. Everyone knows he gave me that job to keep me busy. There is nothing there for me. Here I can make a real difference. These people, these children need help. I can finally use my training to do something good" Catherine insisted.

Doris commented "So you are just going to turn your back on Steve and your family? You are just going to leave them behind because you feel guilty? "

"I can't go back there. They'll have to understand" Catherine fiddled with the ring on her hand.

Doris finally lost her patience and she stood to get her point across "You are running away and its time you grew up! Do not repeat what I did. I ran away from the people I loved. I thought I was protecting them but instead I destroyed their lives. I had a man who loved me, children who needed me and I just left. Is that what you want? Huh? Have you thought about the people who depend on you at home? What about Steven? You cannot tell me that you don't love him, because I know that you do. Why are you insisting on breaking his heart? Huh? You need to stop acting like a spoiled brat!"

"Doris, that's enough" Steve shouted as he made his presence known "I decided to stay with her"

"Steven, no you can't" Frank replied

"No Steve, I wont let you do that" Catherine pleaded

"I'm staying with you" he sat next to Catherine on the edge of the bunk. He turned to face her "I love you and I am never leaving your side. I'm so sorry I left you here alone and I promise you I will never ever leave you. I promise" He kissed her and held her in a long embrace.

Her face was soaked in tears as her eyes met his "What about Five-0 and Mary? You've made a life for yourself, I don't want to be the reason you give it all up. I'm not worth it" Catherine shook her head.

"You _are_ my life Cath. Danny will do a great job taking over Five-0 and Mary has never needed me. She'll be fine. I'm not leaving you Cath." He insisted as he held her hands in his.

Joe parted his lips, preparing to protest when Doris grabbed his arm and interrupted "stop". She looked at Joe and Frank "As long as they are together that is all that matters"

_**Two hours later**_

"We are all packed up" Joe, Doris and Frank stood at the doorway. "The safe house is yours for as long as you need it, but don't stay in one place too long"

"Thank you, Mom" Steve hugged her

"I love you dear, I'm not sure how I'm going to explain this to your mother, but we want you to be happy. Please be careful" Frank tried to be strong as he embraced his daughter

"I love you too, daddy" Catherine hugged him tightly.

"Thank you so much Joe" She hugged him and placed a peck on his cheek.

Moving to Doris, she held her tight "Thank you, Doris. I don't know what to say. Thank you for understanding"

Doris squeezed her tighter "Please take care of my son and be happy together. The love you have for each other only comes once. Where you are doesn't matter, so long as you are together. Just promise me you will keep in contact and eventually go home"

"We will." Catherine wiped the tears from her face.

Frank embraced Steve "Take good care of my little girl"

"I promise. And sir… Thank you for always being there for me" He hugged him again

Joe, Doris and Frank tossed their gear into the bed of the truck. Taking one last glance of the couple they were leaving behind, they took their seats and drove off into the afternoon sun as Steve and Catherine looked on.

"It's not too late to go with them" Catherine turned to make eye contact with Steve

"You are never getting rid of me again. Face it, you're stuck with me Rollins. Besides, I owe you; Its time I paid you back." He grabbed her as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

Her tone grew serious despite his playful demeanor "I'm sorry Steve, I can't believe you're giving up everything for me. I hope you understand why I need to do this. " she nodded as she chewed the bottom of her lip

"I'm sorry it took me this long to show you how much you really mean to me." He pulled her closer

Smiling through her tear stained face, she tightened her grip "You know… there's a perfectly good, sort of comfortable bunk in there" she wiggled her eyebrows and nodded her head towards the door.

"Oh really?" Steve swept her up; holding her in his arms, she nestled her head against his chest as she wrapping her arms around his neck. "I love you, you know" she proclaimed as her eyes looked up to meet his.

"I love you too" he responded as he carried her inside.

_**Together, they lived happily ever after, rescuing children throughout the Middle East and beyond. **_

_**The End.**_

_**Note to readers:**_

_**I feel as if Catherine sacrificed her career to be with Steve and unfortunately things went sideways for her. I felt as if she was lost and may be suffering from PTSD herself. The opportunity to do something as righteous as rescuing an innocent boy has given her a purpose. I do believe that Steve would give up everything to be with her. She has always stood by him and now it's his turn to stand by her. I also believe that he is a victim of "You don't know what you have until it's gone" McRoll needs their happy ending, whether in Hawaii or the Afghan desert, so long as they are together.**_

_**Thank you so much for allowing me to indulge in this fantasy and for all your continued support. **_


End file.
